Geertz (1994) asserts that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance represented by culture. Culture, education, Christianity, self concept and context are some of the webs of significance that Geertz (1994) refers to. We are always spinning on these webs and sometimes it is difficult to predict responses to new information as we are continuously suspended on these webs. Presented in a narrative framework, using an autoethnographic approach, this is a story about self in relation to the contextual landscape that I continue to interact with which is mediated by family, culture, Christianity, education (academic discipline) and my experience of working for DramAidE. The aim is to understand DramAidE’s practice and investigate ways of improving communication strategies in public health. This story discusses the complex interaction between belief, identity and context in mediating responses to public health communication. Using Act Alive as a case study, I explore how people receive information about HIV/AIDS and how this information is interpreted and applied. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This paper exammes the spending behaviour of households with mobile phones in rural agricultural Uganda and whether such strategies such as substitutions have affected the well-being of these community members. According to the findings, rural households are willing to make sacrifices such as travel expenses and store-bought food budget in order to address the expenses of mobile phone services. While gender inequality through exacerbated asset control and mobile phone inexperience drive further digital divide in this village, the proliferation of small businesses development encourages phone ownership for women. Such strategies to afford a mobile phone or mobile phone services are undertaken to help facilitate longterm asset accumulation. For development studies, the analysis recommends a revised form of development thinking in a growing knowledge economy. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The present project evaluates and examines a communication campaign carried out at the University of Durban-Westville (UDW) in 2003, which publicized the introduction of a HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) facility on campus. Drawing on theories 'of entertainment education (EE) and behaviour change, the campaign's effectiveness is analysed in relation to (1) audience reception; (2) take-up of the service promoted; and (3) visibility and penetration of the media employed. The thesis is that the message in campaigns of this nature benefits from avoiding claims of bringing about behaviour change by the mere fact of commurlication or information transfer. Instead, it is proposed that anti-H1V behaviour-change messages focus on urging audiences to act in presenting for VCT, because the ongoing counselling of VCT is a proper communicative forum for such changes. In conclusion, the present campaign's shortcomings are noted, and considered in the context of how to address these in relation to the opportunities offered by the merger ofUDW with the University of Natal from 2004. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal,Durban,2003.

This thesis is an attempt at understanding the theoretical work of Joshua Meyrowitz in communication. The self-proclaimed specificity of his "contextual" media analysis will be recognized as well as its relevance for the development of a general logic of social change. The sources and foundations of Meyrowitz's media analysis will be respectively reconstructed in terms of the schools of thought which informed it and of a metatheoretical typology of the social sciences. The contextual logic of social change will be framed as a type of formal functionalism dealing with self-regulated systemic changes and integrating aspects of a more comprehensive sociology. It will be evaluated in view of recent empirical studies of some (post-)modern transformations in community life. The integrity of Meyrowitz's work in regard to his sources, the contribution of his media analysis to the development of community studies, and the foundations of his logic of social change will be here in question.

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Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1973. / Bibliography: leaves [252]-260. / viii, 260 l illus., maps, tables

The purpose of this study was to provide professionals practising sports public relations in South Africa with insight into the use of social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. The secondary data from this study was drawn from the fields of communications, public relations, new media, social media, sport and marketing. South African Paralympic swimmers Kevin Paul and Shireen Sapiro were selected as the case studies and their Facebook and Twitter sites were analysed. The data was analysed leading up to, during and after the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. Content analysis using quantitative and qualitative data was utilized to conduct this study. During the period 27 July to 30 September 2012, the study was able to evaluate data by identifying the reach, frequency, interaction of the stakeholders and the positive or negative impact social media had on these athletes. The study established that there were correlations between the secondary and primary research that was undertaken. The findings revealed that social media platforms Facebook and Twitter can be useful tools to communicate with stakeholders. Social media can also create support for the athletes, create two-way interaction, create unity and enhance reputation. It was identified that social media could only be effective if it enticed stakeholders to engage with the brand and create two-way communication. Immediate feedback by responding to comments as soon as possible to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders is essential. This can be done through comprehensive planning, monitoring and proactively seeking ways to satisfy stakeholder needs.

M.A. (Fundamental Communication) / Communication technologies like the mobile phone often present a double-edged sword in romantic relationships. While the mobile phone can enhance communication, it can simultaneously present a source of conflict. But through the use of a rule-based system, romantic partners can minimise conflict. This study investigated mobile phone usage rules that are negotiated by adolescents and young adults in their romantic relationships and also how these rules have been perceived to affect the romantic relationship. Of particular focus were rules that pertained specifically to the management of personal privacy boundaries by partners through the appendage of the mobile phone. The dialectic framework of Communication Privacy Management presented a nuanced lens from which to investigate the surveillance dimension of mobile phone appropriation in romantic relationships. The rise of peer-to-peer monitoring offered a unique point of departure that makes understanding the manifestation of this form surveillance in romantic relationships relevant. Findings conducted from surveys and interviews indicate that the negotiation of rules for appropriate mobile phone rules is indeed crucial to not only minimising conflict in romantic relationships but also enhancing trust and respect in the dyad. So important were trust and harmony that partners are even willing to allow their implicit rules and understandings of privacy to be superseded by a pursuit for these relational qualities. In addition to this, partners preferred not to resolves relational arguments over the phone because of the impetuous and intrusive nature of the mobile phone persona. While some rules remained constant, the quantitative survey showed that rules were evolutionary in nature as the relationships grew. The subsequent qualitative interviews also confirmed this finding.

There has been much research conducted into the phenomenon of online social networking. However, there has not been enough research conducted to establish its affect on our overall communication patterns. This research study focuses on the way in which Facebook is redefining perceptions of public and private communication. Using the current body of research paired with a varied theoretical backing, this research establishes Facebook's affect on the communication of college students while also noting how the users affect the way this medium is used. Focus groups at a private University were conducted to establish current uses and perceptions of Facebook and how college students utilize the site to communicate. The research discovered that through Facebook, a new version of confessing one's thoughts has been established and intensified. Also, the research discovered that students had difficulty in defining their own versions of private and public information, but they understood that the line between the two is no longer distinct.

This study investigated the effect of children's prosocial behavior and gender on their abilities to decode and encode facial expressions. Four hypotheses were addressed in this study. The first hypothesis predicted a positive correlation between decoding abilities and pro social behavior of preschool-level children. The second hypothesis made a similar prediction, but between encoding abilities and prosocial behavior. Hypothesis three predicted that female preschoolers would be more accurate in decoding facial affect than would male preschoolers. Finally, hypothesis four predicted that females would have greater success with encoding emotions than would their male counterparts. A total of 132 children from a local private preschool participated in this study. Results showed a non-significant correlation between the decoding abilities of preschoolers and their prosocial behavior. Further analysis of the data revealed a significant negative correlation between the encoding abilities and pro social behavior of preschool children. Support was found for hypothesis three, revealing that females were better decoders of facial affect than were males. Finally, statistical tests indicated that there were no significant differences between females and males and the ability to successfully encode facial expressions. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.